Illuminated house-number device



Feb. 3, 1925. 1,525,021

E. BENZENBERG ILLUMINATED HOUSE NUMBER DEVICE Filed Jan. 3, 1924 [N V EN TOR EmzZ flerz erzberg A TTORN Y Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES EMIL BENZENBERG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ILLUMINATED H OUSE-NUMBER DEVICE.

Application filed January 3, 1924.

privat: house. a apartment house or other building: and the object of the invention is to provide a box-shaped casing adapted to be secured to a suitable support, said casing being provided with a hinged cover member in connection with which translucent number plates are detachably mounted; a still further object being to provide means for nounting an electric light socket in com :ction with the casing, substantially centrally of the back portion thereof; a still further object being to so fashion the casing as to form of the back Wall thereof a reflector surface for distributrng the light throughout the entire length of the casing to illuminate, as near as possible, all of the translucent number plates at the front of the casing to an even degree; and with these and other objects in View, the invention consists in a device of the class for the purpose specified, which is simple in construction, efficient in use and'Which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The "invention is fully (disclosed in v the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of my improved device, illustrating one method of mounting the same.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2*2 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 3 is section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing I have shown for the purpose of illustrating one use of my invention a stair or step construction 5, to one of the uprights or risers 6 of which is secured my improved device 7 The device 7 in the construction shown is composed of a box-shaped casing 8, preferably composed of sheet metal and comprising top and bottom walls 9 and Serial No. 684,111.

1H. and end walls 11. The casing 8 is open at the front and is provided with a back Wall 12, which is provided centrally with a back wardlv directed tubular portion 13 for supporting an electric light socket 14 with which an electric lamp 15 may be connected and from the central portion of the back wall 12, the same is flared forwardly to a point slightly within the outer edge of the casing 8 as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 to form of the back wall 12 a reflector sur face for distributing the light from the bulb 15 over the entire area of the front of the casing. In the construction shown the back wall 12 is formed integral with the top, bot tom and side walls of the casing by parts 16 folded inwardly upon the inner faces of the top, bottom and side walls of the casing. This construction not only simplifies the formation of the complete casing, but reinforces the walls of the casing as will be apparent.

The back wall 12 is provided at predeter mined points with offset apertured portions 17 through which'scrcws or other fastening devices 18 are passed in securing the casing 810 a suitable support such as the riser 6.

Hinged to the front edge of the top wall 9 is a cover plate 19 which in the construe tion shown is formed from a sheet of metal substantially twice the widt'h of the trans verse dimensions of the casing 8, and said sheet is folded centrally as shown at 20 to form an outer member 21 and an inner member 22 and each of the members 21 and 22 is provided, in the construction shown, with five rectangular apertures 23 which register with each other, and said members 21 a rrd 22 are each provided with four registering. vertically arranged partitions 2 1, and the partitions 24 of the member 21 are pressed outwardly as shown at 25 in Fig. 2 of the drawing into engagement with the inner faces of the partitions of the outer member 21 to form between the separate partitions of both members 2122 and the end walls of sai members, channels into which trans lucent panels 26 are adapted to be placed and the separate panels 26 are provided with predetermined numbers to mane up the nu1uber of a dwelling or other building.

It will be apparent that all of the panels 26 need not be provided with numbers or other characters; for example the two side panels, namely 1 and 3, as shown in F igfl of the drawing may be blank and thus the house number would be 492. It willalso be understood that the casing may be made up to support two or more panels as may be de sired.

The doors member 19 preferably extends into the open end portion of the casing as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, and in this way a seal is produced between the door member and casing to prevent the passage of moisture into the casing. I also preferably employ a lock device 27 for locking the door 19 in connection with the casing and this lock is mounted in a recessed portion 28 formed in the casing and in the back wall 12 thereof as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

It will be understood that I am not necessarily limited to any specific form of electric socket 14 nor am I necessarily limited to the details of construction herein shown and described, and various changes therein and modifications thereof may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the class described comprising a casing fashioned from sheet metal, said casing being open at the front, the back of said casing being in the form of a reflector and provided centrally with means for supporting an electric light socket in connection therewith, means for securing the casing to a suitable support, a cover member hinged to the front of the casing, means for supporting a plurality of translucent panels in said cover member, said cover member being composed of sheet metal fashioned to form a plurality of apertures with which the translucent panels are adapted to register, and means for detachably mounting the panels in connection with said cover member, and said cover member being adapted to fit within the open end portion of said casing.

2. A device of the class described comprising a box-shaped casing fashioned from sheet metal, said casing being provided with top, bottom and end walls, and a back wall formed integral withthe first named walls, the back wall of the casing being provided centrally with a backwardly directed tubular portion, and said back wall flaring forwardly from said tubular portion to form thereof a reflector having top, bottom and side portions, aiid means for supporting translucent panels in the front end of the casing.

3. A device of the class described comprising a box-shaped casing, the front of said casing being open and the back thereof flaring forwardly from the walls of the casing to form a reflec 11-, means for supporting an electric ligit centrally of the back wall of the casing. a door hinged to one of the walls of the casing, said door being fashioned from a single sheet of metal to U-shaped formation and comprising inner and outer members between which a plurality of translucent panels are adapted to be placed, the separate members of the door being provided with co-registering apertures whereby the separate panels are located therein, and partition walls formed in said members to space the separate panels one from another.

.4. A device of the class described comprising a box-shaped casing fashioned from a single sheet of metal to form top, bottom and side walls and a back wall provided centrally with a bacliwardly directed tubular portion, said back wall flaring outwardly from said tub'ulnr portion to the top, bottom and side walls and being joined to said walls by parts folduble inwardly onto the inner faces thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing my invention 1 have signed my name this 31st day of December 1923.

EMIL BENZENBERG. 

